the three branches there. then you have the military and then you have the civilian government. this is a nation, which, if it falls apart, if it becomes a failed state, there are nuclear weapons there and you've got terrorists there who could grab their hands onto those nuclear weapons. this is an important part of the world for us. pakistan is technically an ally, and they're not acting very much like an ally right now. but we have some work to do. and i don't blame the administration for the fact that the relationship with pakistan is strained. we had to go into pakistan. we had to go in there to get osama bin laden. that was the right thing to do. and that upset them, but obviously there was a great deal of anger even before that. but we're going to have to work with the people in pakistan to try and help them move to a more responsible course than the one that they're on. and it's important for them. it's important for the nuclear

weapons. it's important for the success of afghanistan, because inside pakistan, you have a large group of pashtuns that are taliban. they're going to come rushing back in to afghanistan when we go. and that's one of the reasons the afghan security forces have so much work to do to be able to fight against that. but it's important for us to recognize that we can't just walk away from pakistan. but we do need to make sure that as we send support for them, that this is tied to them making progress on matters that would lead them to becoming a civil society. mr. schieffer: let me ask you, governor because we know president obama's position on this, what is your position on the use of drones? mr. romney: well i believe we should use any and all means necessary to take out people who pose a threat to us and our friends around the world. and it's widely reported that drones are being used in drone strikes, and i support that and entirely and feel the president was right to up the usage of that technology and believe that we should continue to use it, to continue to go after the people that represent a threat to this nation and to our friends. but let me also note that as i said earlier, we're going to have to do more than just going

after leaders and killing bad guys, important as that is. we're also going to have to have a farm more effective and comprehensive strategy to help move the world away from terror and islamic extremism. we haven't done that yet. we talk a lot about these things, but you look at the -- the record, you look at the record of the last four years and say is iran closer to a bomb? yes. is the middle east in tumult? yes. is al-qaida on the run, on its heels? no. are israel and the palestinians closer to reaching a peace agreement? no, they haven't had talks in two years. we have not seen the progress we need to have, and i'm convinced that with strong leadership and an effort to build a strategy based upon helping these nations reject extremism, we can see the kind of peace and prosperity the world demands. president obama: well, keep in mind our strategy wasn't just going after bin laden. we've created partnerships throughout the region to deal

with extremism in somalia, in yemen, in pakistan. and what we've also done is engaged these governments in the kind of reforms that are actually going to make a difference in people's lives day to day, to make sure that their governments aren't corrupt, to make sure that they're treating women with the kind of respect and dignity that every nation that succeeds has shown and to make sure that they've got a free market system that works. so across the board, we are engaging them in building capacity in these countries. and we have stood on the side of democracy. one thing i think americans should be proud of, when tunisians began to protest, this nation -- me, my administration -- stood with them earlier than just about any country. in egypt, we stood on the side of democracy. in libya, we stood on the side of the people. and as a consequence, there's no

doubt that attitudes about americans have changed. but there are always going to be elements in these countries that potentially threaten the united states. and we want to shrink those groups and those networks and we can do that. but we're always also going to have to maintain vigilance when it comes to terrorist activities. the truth, though, is that al qaeda is much weaker than it was when i came into office. and they don't have the same capacities to attack the u.s. homeland and our allies as they did four years ago. mr. schieffer: let's go to the next segment, because it's a very important one. it is the rise of china and future challenges for america. i want to just begin this by asking both of you, and, mr. president, you go first this time. what do you believe is the greatest future threat to the national security of this country? president obama: well, i think it will continue to be terrorist networks.

we have to remain vigilant, as i just said. but with respect to china, china is both an adversary, but also a potential partner in the international community if it's following the rules. so my attitude coming into office was that we are going to insist that china plays by the same rules as everybody else. i know americans had seen jobs being shipped overseas, businesses and workers not getting a level playing field when it came to trade. and that's the reason why i set up a trade task force to go after cheaters when it came to international trade. that's the reason why we have brought more cases against china for violating trade rules than the other -- the previous administration had done in two terms. and we've won just about every case that we've filed, that has been decided. in fact, just recently steelworkers in ohio and

throughout the midwest -- pennsylvania -- are in a position now to sell steel to china because we won that case. we had a tire case in which they were flooding us with cheap domestic tires or cheap chinese tires. and we put a stop to it and as a consequence saved jobs throughout america. i have to say that governor romney criticized me for being too tough in that tire case, said this wouldn't be good for american workers and that it would be protectionist. but i tell you, those workers don't feel that way. they feel as if they had finally an administration who was going to take this issue seriously. over the long term, in order for us to compete with china, we've also got to make sure, though, that we're taking care of business here at home. if we don't have the best education system in the world, if we don't continue to put money into research and technology that will allow us to create great businesses here in the united states, that's how we lose the competition.

and, unfortunately, governor romney's budget and his proposals would not allow us to make those investments. mr. schieffer: all right. governor? mr. romney: well, first of all, it's not government that makes business successful. it's not government investments that makes businesses grow and hire people. let me also note that the greatest threat that the world faces, the greatest national security threat is a nuclear iran. let's talk about china. china has an interest that's very much like ours in one respect, and that is they want a stable world. they don't want war. they don't want to see protectionism. they don't want to see the world break out into various forms of chaos, because they have to manufacture goods and put people to work and they have about 20,000 -- 20 million, rather, people coming out of the farms every year coming into the cities, needing jobs. so they want the economy to work and the world to be free and open. and so we can be a partner with china. we don't have to be an adversary in any way, shape or form. we can work with them, we can collaborate with them, if they're willing to be responsible.

now, they look at us and say, is it a good idea to be with america? how strong are we going to be? how strong is our economy? they look at the fact that we owe them a trillion dollars and owe other people $16 trillion in total, including that. they look at our decision to -- to cut back on our military capabilities. a trillion dollars. the secretary of defense called these trillion dollars of cuts to our military devastating. it's not my term, it's the president's own secretary of defense called them devastating. it's not my term, it's the president's own secretary of defense, called them devastating. they look at america's commitments around the world and they see what's happening, and they say, well, ok. is america going to be strong? and the answer is, yes, if i'm president, america will be very strong. we'll also make sure that we have trade relations with china that work for us. i've watched year in and year out as companies have shut down and people have lost their jobs because china has not played by the same rules, in part by holding down artificially the value of their currency. it holds down the prices of

their goods. it means our goods aren't as competitive and we lose jobs. that's got to end. they're making some progress; they need to make more. that's why on day one, i will label them a currency manipulator, which allows us to apply tariffs where they're taking jobs. they're stealing our intellectual property, our patents, our designs, our technology, hacking into our computers, counterfeiting our goods. they have to understand we want to trade with them. we want a world that's stable. we like free enterprise, but you got to play by the rules. mr. schieffer: well, governor, let me just ask you. if you declare them a currency manipulator on day one, some people say you're just going to start a trade war with china on day one. is that -- isn't there a risk that that could happen? mr. romney: well, they sell us about this much stuff every year, and we sell them about this much stuff every year. so it's pretty clear who doesn't want a trade war. and there's one going on right now, which we don't know about it. it's a silent one.

and they're winning. we have enormous trade imbalance with china, and it's worse this year than last year, and it's worse last year than the year before. and so we have to understand that we can't just surrender and lose jobs year in and year out. we have to say to our friend in china, look, you guys are playing aggressively. we understand it. but this can't keep on going. you can't keep on holding down the value of your currency, stealing our intellectual property, counterfeiting our products, selling them around the world, even to the united states. i was with one company that makes valves and process industries, and they said, look, we were having some valves coming in that were broken and we had to repair them under warranty and we looked them and they had our serial number on them. and then we noticed that there was more than one with that same serial number. they were counterfeit products being made overseas with the same serial number as a u.s. company, the same packaging, these were being sold into our market and around the world as if they were made by the u.s. competitor. this can't go on.

i want a great relationship with china. china can be our partner, but that doesn't mean they can just roll all over us and steal our jobs on an unfair basis. president obama: well, governor romney's right, you are familiar with jobs being shipped overseas because you invested in companies that were shipping jobs overseas. and, you know, that's -- you're right. i mean that's how our free market works. but i've made a different bet on american workers. if we had taken your advice governor romney about our auto industry, we'd be buying cars from china instead of selling cars to china. if we take your advice with respect to how we change our tax codes so that companies that earn profits overseas don't pay u.s. taxes compared to companies here that are paying taxes, now that's estimated to create 800,000 jobs, the problem is they won't be here, they'll be in places like china. and if we're not making investments in education and basic research, which is not something that the private sector is doing at a sufficient pace right now and has never

done, then we will lose the lead in things like clean energy technology. now with respect to what we've done with china already, u.s. exports have doubled since i came into office, to china and actually currencies are at their most advantageous point for u.s. exporters since 1993. we absolutely have to make more progress, and that's why we're going to keep on pressing. and when it comes to our military and chinese security, part of the reason that we were able to pivot to the asia-pacific region after having ended the war in iraq and transitioning out of afghanistan is precisely because this is going to be a massive growth area in the future. and we believe china can be a partner, but we're also sending a very clear signal that america is a pacific power, that we are going to have a presence there. we are working with countries in

the region to make sure, for example, that ships can pass through, that commerce continues. and we're organizing trade relations with countries other than china so that china starts feeling more pressure about meeting basic international standards. that's the kind of leadership we've shown in the region. that's the kind of leadership that we'll continue to show. mr. romney: i just want to take one of those points, again, attacking me as not talking about an agenda for getting more trade and opening up more jobs in this country. but the president mentioned the auto industry and that somehow i would be in favor of jobs being elsewhere. nothing could be further from the truth. i'm a son of detroit. i was born in detroit. my dad was head of a car company. i like american cars. and i would do nothing to hurt the u.s. auto industry. my plan to get the industry on its feet when it was in real trouble was not to start writing checks. it was president bush that wrote the first checks. i disagree with that. i said they need -- these companies need to go through a

managed bankruptcy. and in that process, they can get government help and government guarantees, but they need to go through bankruptcy to get rid of excess cost and the debt burden that they'd built up. and fortunately -- president obama: governor romney, that's not what you said -- governor romney, you did not -- mr. romney: you can take a look at the op-ed -- president obama: you did not say that you would provide government help. mr. romney: i said that we would provide guarantees, and that was what was able to allow these companies to go through bankruptcy, to come out of bankruptcy. under no circumstances would i do anything other than to help this industry get on its feet. and the idea that has been suggested that i would liquidate the industry, of course not. of course not. president obama: let's check the record. mr. romney: that's the height of

silliness -- i have never said i would would liquidate -- i would liquidate the industry. president obama: governor, the people in detroit don't forget. mr. romney: and that's why i have the kind of commitment to ensure that our industries in this country can compete and be successful. we in this country can compete successfully with anyone in the world, and we're going to. we're going to have to have a president, however, that doesn't think that somehow the government investing in car companies like tesla and fisker, making electric battery cars. this is not research, mr. president, these are the government investing in companies. investing in solyndra. this is a company, this isn't basic research. i want to invest in research. research is great. providing funding to universities and think tanks is great. but investing in companies? absolutely not. that's the wrong way to go. (crosstalk) mr. romney: i'm still speaking. so i want to make sure that we make -- we make america more competitive. president obama: yeah. mr. romney: and that we do those things that make america the most attractive place in the world for entrepreneurs, innovators, businesses to grow. but you're investing in companies doesn't do that. in fact it makes it less likely for them to come here

president obama: governor? mr. romney: because the private sector's not going to invest in a -- president obama: look, i think anybody out there can check the record. governor romney, you keep on trying to, you know airbrush history here. you were very clear that you would not provide, government assistance to the u.s. auto companies, even if they went through bankruptcy. you said that they could get it in the private marketplace. that wasn't true. they would have gone through -- mr. romney: you're wrong -- president obama: no, i am not wrong. i am not wrong. mr. romney: people can look it up, you're right. president obama: people will look it up. mr. romney: good. president obama: but more importantly it is true that in order for us to be competitive, we're going to have to make some smart choices right now. cutting our education budget, that's not a smart choice. that will not help us compete with china. cutting our investments in research and technology, that's not a smart choice. that will not help us compete with china. bringing down our deficit by adding $7 trillion of tax cuts and military spending that our military is not asking for, before we even get to the debt that we currently have, that is

not going to make us more competitive. those are the kinds of choices that the american people face right now. having a tax code that rewards companies that are shipping jobs overseas instead of companies that are investing here in the united states, that will not make us more competitive. and the one thing that i'm absolutely clear about is that after a decade in which we saw drift, jobs being shipped overseas, nobody championing american workers and american businesses, we've now begun to make some real progress. what we can't do is go back to the same policies that got us into such difficulty in the first place. that's why we have to move forward and not go back. mr. romney: i couldn't agree more about going forward, but i certainly don't want to go back to the policies of the last four years. the policies of the last four years have seen incomes in america decline every year for middle income families, now down $4,300 during your term. 23 million americans still struggling to find a good job.

when you came to office 32 million people on food stamps. today, 47 million people on food stamps. when you came to office, just over $10 trillion in debt, now $16 trillion in debt. it hasn't worked. you said by now we'd be at 5.4% unemployment. we're 9 million jobs short of that. i've met some of those people. i've met them in appleton, wisconsin. i met a young woman in philadelphia who's coming out of college, can't find work. ann was with someone just the other day that was just weeping about not being able to get work. it's just a tragedy in a nation so prosperous as ours that these last four years have been so hard. and that's why it's so critical that we make america once again the most attractive place in the world to start businesses, to build jobs, to grow the economy. and that's not going to happen by just hiring teachers. look, i i love teachers, and i'm happy to have states and communities that want to hire teachers do that. by the way, i don't like to have the federal government start

pushing its weight deeper and deeper into our schools. let the states and localities do that. i was a governor. the federal government didn't hire our teachers. but i love teachers. but i want to get our private sector growing and i know how to do it. mr. schieffer: i think we all love teachers. (laughter) mr. schieffer: gentlemen, thank you so much for a very vigorous debate. we have come to the end. it is time for closing statements, i believe you're first, mr. president. president obama: well, thank you very much, bob, governor romney, and to lynn university. you've now heard three debates, months of campaigning, and way too many tv commercials. and now you've got a choice. over the last four years we've made real progress digging our way out of policies that gave us two prolonged wars, record deficits and the worst economic deficits, and the worst economic crisis since the great depression. and governor romney wants to take us back to those policies,

a foreign policy that's wrong and reckless, economic policies that won't create jobs, won't reduce our deficit, but will make sure that folks at the very top don't have to play by the same rules that you do. and i've got a different vision for america. i want to build on our strengths. and i've put forward a plan to make sure that we're bringing manufacturing jobs back to our shores by rewarding companies and small businesses that are investing here, not overseas. i want to make sure we've got the best education system in the world. and we're retaining our workers for the jobs of tomorrow. i want to control our own energy by developing oil and natural gas but also the energy sources of the future. yes, i want to reduce our deficit by cutting spending that we don't need but also by asking the wealthy to do a little bit more so that we can invest in things like research and technology that are the key to a 21st century economy. as commander in chief, i will maintain the strongest military in the world, keep faith with our troops, and go after those

who would do us harm. but after a decade of war, i think we all recognize we've got to do some nation building here at home, rebuilding our roads, our bridges, and especially caring for our veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedom. and we've been through tough times, but we always bounce back because of our character, because we pull together, and if i have the privilege of being your president for another four years, i promise you i will always listen to your voices. i will fight for your families and i will work every single day to make sure that america continues to be the greatest nation on earth. thank you. mr. schieffer: governor? mr. romney: thank you. bob, mr. president, folks at lynn university, good to be with you. i'm optimistic about the future. i'm excited about our prospects as a nation. i want to see peace. i want to see growing peace in this country. it's our objective. we have an opportunity to have real leadership. america's going to have that kind of leadership and continue to promote principles of peace to make a world a safer place and make people in this country

more confident that their future is secure. i also want to make sure that we get this economy going. and there are two very different paths the country can take. one is a path represented by the president, which at the end of four years would mean we'd have $20 trillion in debt heading towards greece. i'll get us on track to a balanced budget. the president's path will mean continuing declining in take-home pay. i want to make sure our take-home pay turns around and starts to grow. the president's path will mean -- the president's path means 20 million people out of work struggling for a good job. i'll get people back to work with 12 million new jobs. i'm going to make sure that we get people off of food stamps, not by cutting the program, but by getting them good jobs. america's going to come back, and for that to happen, we're going to have to have a president who can work across the aisle. i was in a state where my legislature was 87% democrat. i learned how to get along on the other side of the aisle. we've got to do that in washington. washington is broken. i know what it takes to get this

country back, and will work with good democrats and good republicans to do that. this nation is the hope of the earth. we've been blessed by having a nation that's free and prosperous thanks to the contributions of the greatest generation. they've held a torch for the world to see -- the torch of freedom and hope and opportunity. now, it's our turn to take that torch. i'm convinced we'll do it. we need strong leadership. i'd like to be that leader with your support. i'll work with you. i'll lead you in an open and honest way, and i ask for your vote. i'd like to be the next president of the united states to support and help this great nation and to make sure that we all together remain america as the hope of the earth. thank you so much. mr. schieffer: gentlemen, thank you both so much. that brings an end to this year's debates, and we want to thank lynn university and its students for having us. as i always do at the end of these debates, i leave you with the words of my mom, who said,

"go vote, it'll make you feel big and strong." good night. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

>> watch live coverage of the third debate between hillary clinton and donald trump wednesday night. at 7:30 preview starts p.m. eastern. the briefing for the audience is at 8:30 p.m., and the debate is at 9:00. fewer reactionr following the debate. watch the debate live or on-demand using your desktop, phone, or tablet at www.c-span.org. listen to coverage on your phone with the app. store ord from the app

google play. >> donald trump is tweeting on allegations of voter fraud. according to a politico story. aboutent obama was asked voter fraud today, and here is his response. president obama: one of the great things about america's vigorous,is we have a sometimes bitter political done,t, and when it is historically, regardless of the person who loses the election congratulates the winner, reaffirms our democracy, and we move forward. that is how democracy survives,

that thererecognize is something more important than any individual campaign, and that is making sure that the integrity and trust in our institutions sustained itself, because democracy by definition works by consent, not by force. seen in my lifetime or in modern political history any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and election process before votes have even taken place. it is unprecedented. it happens to be based on no facts. regardless of

political party, regardless of ideology, conservative or liberal, who has ever examine these issues in a serious way will tell you has ever examinede issues in a serious way will tell you that instances of significant voter fraud are not that -- keep in mind, elections are run by state and local officials, which means that there are places like florida, for example, where you have a republican governor, republican appointees will be monitoring and running the selection sites. the notion that somehow if mr. trump loses florida it is because of those people that you have to watch out for -- that is both irresponsible, and, by the way, doesn't really show the

kind of leadership and toughness you want out of a president. if you start whining before the wheneverven over -- if anxiety going badly for you and you -- whenever things are going badly for you and you start blaming somebody else, you do not have what it takes to be in this job. there are a lot of times that things do not go our way, or my way. that is ok. you fight through it. you work through it. you try to accomplish your goals. the larger point i want to emphasize here is there is no serious person out there who would suggest, somehow, that you could even rig america's elections, in part, because they are so decentralized, and the

numbers of votes involved. there is no evidence that has happened in the past, or that there are instances in which that will happen this time. so, i would advise mr. trump to stop whining, and go make his case to get votes. votes, itthe most would be my expectation of hillary clinton to offer a gracious concession speech and pledged to work with him in order to make sure the american people benefit from an effective government. and it would be my job to welcome mr. trump, regardless of what he has said about me, or my differences on my opinions, and escort him to the capital in which there would be a peaceful transfer of power. americans do. that is why america is already great. one way of weakening america,

making it less great, is if you start betraying those basic, american traditions that have have helpedsan, and to hold together this democracy now for well over two centuries. >> that was president obama speaking earlier today during a joint news conference with the italian prime minister michael burns it. president obama and first lady michelle obama are hosting their final state dinner. here is the prime minister's arrival, and the ceremony from this morning. ♪

>> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states, obama.. michelle ♪

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>> ladies and gentlemen, the national anthem of the republic of italy, followed by the national anthem of the united states. ♪

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>> mr. prime minister, the honor guard. ♪

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president obama: good morning. >> good morning! president obama: [speaking italian] italian] ng president obama: today is bittersweet for michelle and i, because this marks the final official visit and stay dinner of my presidency -- state dinner of my presidency. but -- it's ok. [laughter] president obama: we have saved the best for last. [applause] president obama: and so on behalf of michelle and myself and the american people, it is my great honor to welcome from italy, prime minister matteo renzi. [applause]

president obama: and mrs. agnese landini. as americans and italians, we are here because of each other. founding fathers washington and adams drew inspiration from cicero. you are spoken with great admiration of the soldiers of world war ii that liberated italy so that families like yours could live in freedom. today we again page view to all -- again pay tribute to all those who lost their lives, including the heroes of the italian resistance, so we could stand here today as two free peoples. [applause] president obama: and on a personal level, today's a chance

for michelle and me to reciprocate the incredible hospitality that the italian people have shown us on each of our visits to italy. when years ago michelle and i traveled through tuscany, back when we didn't have kids so we could have a really good time. [laughter] president obama: you remember that? and then in my first term we brought our daughters to rome to experience the timeless beauty of the eternal city. and when michelle and our daughters and my mother-in-law went to milan for last year's expo, all of which prompted mali and sasha to ask the question posed by millions of visitors to italy, when can we go back? this visit also the last deep friendship between the two lovees, and the americans'

of all things italian. we love the food, we love the fashion, we love the wine, we love sophia loren. [laughter] president obama: and nowhere does our love for italy run deeper than among the millions of very proud italian americans, including those who are here today. [applause] now i am notma: , fortunate enough to claim italian ancestry myself, although my name does and in a vowel -- end in a vowel. [laughter] president obama: but i do consider myself an honorary italian. i was raised in part by my grandmother, and as any italian will tell you, you listen to your nonna. and because michelle, like any good italian home, the white house has our garden with tomatoes and garlic. let me say that in the italian-american experience, immigrants who often came here with nothing, who had to learn

the language and carve out 's -- carve out new lives and overcame prejudice and discrimination, relying on the family and the strength of their faith, and have gone on to succeed in every walk of life, we see the truth we should never forget, that america was built by immigrants, america is stronger because of immigrants america is great because of , immigrants. [applause] president obama: and as president, i'm especially grateful for my partnership with my good friend matteo. i mean, look at him. he is young, handsome, has put forth a vision of progress that is not rooted in people's fears but in their hopes. he knows that as nations and individuals, we have the power to achieve great change. in italy, he is challenging the status quo with bold reforms. he likes to tweet a lot.

we also have in common the wisdom to marry remarkable women, leaders in their own right, who have dedicated their efforts to giving children every opportunity to succeed, including a good education to our sons and our daughters. so i am told that there is an italian saying -- forgive my accent. [speaking italian] president obama: so, roughly translated, it means that clear conditions lead to long friendships. when it comes to italy and the united states, the underlying conditions could not be more clear. we are united not only by our interest but our values, our love of dignity -- liberty and our commitment to the dignity of every human being. which is why i say without hesitation that italy is one of

strongest allies, and closest friends. in italy and prime minister renzi, the united states is a partner with whom we share a common vision. inclusive, growing economies that create opportunity and reduce injustice and inequality. a europe that is whole and free and at peace. a strong nato alliance committed to our collective defense and united in the face of aggression and terrorism. empathy for the migrants and compassion for the refugees. partners in clean energy, as our generation takes the boldest steps ever to save our planet from climate change. and partners in development, because when italians and americans work together, we can help save the world's most vulnerable people from the ravages of hunger and disease. as our italian friends know, matteo began his life of faith and service in the scouts. ever since, he has been guided by the words of the scouts'

founder -- leave this world a little better than you found it. matteo, agnese, the italian people, we are proud to call you allies and friends. when we stand together we can leave the world a little better than we found it. to all of you, welcome to the united states. [speaking italian] all right. [applause] p.m. renzi: mr. president, mrs. obama, my american friends -- [speaking italian]

thank you for such a warm welcome here. president obama wonderfully organized everything under the sun. incredible organization. [applause] p.m. renzi: agnese and i are delighted to be here. it is any credible honor, and incredible gift. this opportunity and this solemn occasion to celebrate the relation between our 2 nations. obviously, we are ready every moment to host you and your family, every city -- also florence. we are so excited for this occasion and this opportunity. the enduring friendship and the bond between our countries has never been so strong, so deep, and so wide. italy and the united states work together globally fighting terrorism, providing security, creating economic opportunity.

but i think, mr. president, if you think about our history, we can't imagine five centuries ago what a young italian called amerigo vespucci gave his name to america. [applause] and 70 years ago, so many young americans sacrificed their lives to give freedom back to america. thank you, again, to these people. today, we together, are facing a name to ato give a new era together, a new season. opportunities and uncertainty. -- the nameopinion of the future has to be freedom. the name has to be education, not intolerance.

sustainability, not distraction. bridges, not walls. future has to be , and wenot austerity have to have the audacity of hope, not only in the united states. , italians love history. the romans used to say -- history is a teacher of life. kindink history will be with you, mr. president. leadership, a country hit by crisis started growing again. havefter day, you

maintained and improved lives, environments, and created opportunities for poor people. i think there are a lot of people who think that politics is only about screaming, fighting each other, creating division. you are different, mr. president. we are different. [applause] p.m. renzi: we think politics is making a difference and this is the reason, because we love history, but at the same time, we need the future. we love our past, but we need the future. in the history of italy there are a lot of incredible personalities, michelangelo, galileo, the most incredible genius of the past but they are , not our stakeholders. our stakeholders in this time are our children's, the future of a new generation and for this reason i think italy is ready to build with the united states of

america a great season of new opportunities, a future based on strengths, civil rights, education, self power, the real great a bond between the united states and italy. mr. president, we have a great poet and we use an expression, i am not able to translate in english. [speaking italian] it means our mission is not full -- follow brutality, but follow values and knowledge. this is the choice for us today, this is the mission for the new generation of politicians. i think we will never be tired of being a true friend, a solid

partner of the united states of america in this spirit, thank you so much for your leadership, mr. president and thank you so much for your friendship. we are so honored to be here because -- our identity. [applause] [military commands]

>> mr. president, this concludes the ceremony. ♪ ♪

[applause] ♪ >> after the obamas and their guests left the welcoming ceremony, they went to the oval office for a discussion. the meeting started with a handshake and a final opportunity. when the meeting was done, they went back outside the white

house for a news conference. president obama: please, everybody, have a seat. again, i want to welcome prime minister renzi and his delegation back to the white house. this morning, his english is better than my italian. michelle and i are looking forward to hosting tonight at the state dinner, but as i believe our italian friends stay, -- say -- [speaking italian] means, first, duty, then pleasure. tonight's dinner will be a pleasure. today, we are focused on our duties -- worked to expand the prosperity of our peoples.

i want to begin by expressing our deep gratitude for the extraordinary alliance with italy. they netted states is lucky to have many strong allies around the world, and few are as capablereliable, and as as italy. in good times and in bad, we can count on each other and i want to thank the government and people of italy for the hospitality and generosity they show to the many american military personnel and families stationed in italy far away from the home. please also know our thoughts continue to be with the people of amitrice and i know you are still working closely with local governments to recover and rebuild from the devastating earthquake that took place this summer. in our work together over the past two years, i have come to count on prime minister renzi as one of my closest partners on the world stage. by virtue of this progressive vision, his energy, the reforms that he is pursuing which are

sweeping, the bold vision that he has for italy and the world, i think matteo embodies a new generation of italy not -- leadership not just for italy, but for europe and it is critically important because as i have said repeatedly, a strong and united and confident and prosperous europe anchored in liberal traditions and democracy and rights, that is a necessity for the united states and for the world. it is a strategic interest of ours that we have a successful, united europe and today we focus on a number of key challenges facing europe, our transatlantic alliance and the globe. on the economic front, we agree that our focus has to remain on growth, creating jobs and prosperity for our people. matteo has been pursuing

bold economic reforms structural , reforms in italy that are not easy and often resisted by existing institutions and inertia, but the italian economy has shown signs of growth and it still has a long way to go to put italy on the path of long-term and sustainable growth and the upcoming referendum to modernize italy's political institutions is something the united states supports because we believe it will help accelerate italy's path toward a more vibrant, dynamic economy as well as a more responsive political system. matteo shared his thoughts on in how the of brexit european union can move forward

and focus on delivering austerity and security that your -- europeans deserve and we both agreed that without an emphasis on demand and growth and investment and infrastructure and projects that can put people back to work, particularly young people, that much of the economic fragility in europe will continue. by the way, that has impact around the world including on the american economy as well. we both reaffirmed our strong support for negotiations around the transatlantic trade and investment partnerships which can support jobs and exports and innovation and growth on both sides of the atlantic. we talked about, as nato allies, unified determinations to defend every ally and continue to strengthen nato. italy will be a chief contributor to the nato task force. we discussed our shared concerns

around the situation in the ukraine and the importance of keeping sanctions including eu sanctions in place until russia and the ukraine are both implementing commitments under the agreement and we are determined to work diplomatically with the normandy group in order to achieve that goal. i thank italy for its role in the coalition against isis. after the united states italy is the second-largest contributor of forces in iraq. italian forces are helping to stabilize cities through training of police after they are liberated from isil. the start of iraqi operations to liberate mosul is a major step forward. most, as many of you know, is the second-largest city, and is

il has been entrenched. perhaps one million civilians are still living there. in addition to rooting out isil, our focus is on the safety and humanitarian aid for civilians escaping the fight. that will be a top priority for both our governments. mosul will be a difficult fight and there would be advancements and setbacks. i am confident that isil will be defeated in mosul and that will be another step toward their ultimate destruction. italy continues to be one of our strongest counterterrorism partners as we prevent terrorist attacks in our countries. more broadly we agreed to continue support of the libyan government as it continues to face challenges to authorities. italy provided critical diplomatic support to libya's efforts to force the government. we continue to continue to some -- we will continue to support as they were to eject isil from libya.

as isil tries to expand in afghanistan, italy plays a vital role. we discussed the continued need for strong, courtney and responses to the largest migrant and refugee crisis in europe since world war ii. as the leader of eu's nabel -- naval operations, italy and its partners have worked to save hundreds of thousands of lives. the alliance is moving ahead with plans to increase support of the eu operations and i want to commend you and the italian people. the leadership in europe you have shown is an eloquent voice for an orderly and humane response to the crisis is in keeping with our values and shared commitments of human dignity.

finally, the past two weeks have been a powerful reminder that win our countries work together we can leave the world a little bit better than when we found it because the united states and italy joined with other nations across the globe. we brought the paris agreement on climate change into force, we reached an agreement to limit aviation emissions and through the montreal protocol nearly 200 nations just this past week agreed to phase not production and consumption of dangerous hydrofluorocarbons which are an enormous contributor to greenhouse gases and a major step toward achieving the goals we set in paris. meanwhile, italy continues to be a strong partner for development, especially to combat hunger and nine -- malnutrition around the world. thank you for your friendship and your partnership. i could not ask for a better partner and the american people cannot ask for a better friend and ally than italy.

we will take a few questions, and i will start with kevin of ap. kevin: donald trump says hillary clinton talks to talk about vladimir putin, and both of you insult the russian leader. he also said if elected he might meet with a russian leader before inauguration. what you think of his approach and how would it affect america's interest on the national stage? secondly, does it to stress you at the fbi and state department talk about half of classification of e-mails that 'sre on secretary clinton servers. would you acknowledge the appearance of impropriety and should state officials look into this rather? and for prime minister renzi, with the referendum happening soon in your country, what would

passage mean for your ability to lead the country and what would failure mean for your political future as well as to italy's role in the european union? president obama: i am going to be more subdued in my discussions of the republican nominee in this context that i might be on the campaign trail. let me just speak broadly about russia. when i came into office, under the previous administration russia had invaded parts of georgia and created a frozen conflict. there was a new president and we tried to initiate a more constructive path with respect to u.s.-russia relations and i think we showed russia plenty of respect, knowledge and --

acknowledging differences and values and also trying ways in which we could cooperate together. we initiated the new start treaty, we assisted russia with ascension to the wto. we worked on some common international challenges together and when the previous president was replaced with mr. putin i met with him and we discussed ways in which we could constructively work together. the challenge that we had with russia is very much centered on russian aggression in some very particular areas around the world, in the ukraine where they

have engaged in similar contact to what date -- conduct to what they did in georgia and even there we have tried to broker and work with the europeans to broker an agreement that would peacefully resolve the issues. in syria, one of my earliest meetings with putin was to suggest that if assad stayed in power, given the print that brutality with which he treated his own people, he would see a civil war that would not be good for the syrians, certainly, but would not be good for the world anywhere. rather than to work with us to try to solve the problem, he doubled down on his support and we know the situation that exists there. any characterization that somehow we have improperly challenged russian aggression or

have somehow tried to encroach on their legitimate interests is just wrong and mr. trump's continued flattery of mr. putin and the degree to which he appears to model many of his policies and approaches to politics on mr. putin is unprecedented in american politics and is out of step with, not just what democrats think, but out of step with what up until the last few months almost every republican thought, including some of the ones who are now endorsing mr. trump.

you will have to explain to me how it is that some of the same leaders of the republican party who were constantly haranguing us for even talking to the russians and who consistently took the most hawkish approaches to russia, including mr. trump's selection for vice president now reconcile their endorsement of mr. trump with their previous views. the bottom line is that we think russia is a large, important country with a military that is second only to ours and has to be a part of the solution on the world stage rather than part of the problem, but, their behavior has undermined international norms and rules in ways that we have to call them out on and

anybody who occupies this office should feel the same way because these are values that we have fought for and protected. we cannot go around talking about human rights or freedom of the press or democracy or freedom of religion or nondiscrimination or basic laws of war or the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, no matter how small and then extoll the virtues of someone who violates those principles. and mr. trump rarely surprises me to these days. i am much more surprised and troubled by the fact that you have republican officials who historically have been adamantly

anti-russian and have attacked me for even engaging them diplomatically and sometimes -- and now supporting and sometimes echoing his positions. you will have to ask them how to explain it. with respect to the state department and the fbi reports, i think you've heard directly from both the fbi and the state department that notion or accounts that have been put out there are just not true and you can question them again, but based on what we have seen, heard, learned, some of the more sensational implications or appearances are not based on actual events and based on what

actually happened and i think derived from sort of overly broad characterizations of interactions between the state department and the fbi that happen a lot and happen between agencies. i think that covers me. p.m. renzi: i know 2016 is not a very good year to organize a referendum, but i think the italian referendum is very simply in the message because it is about the fight against bureaucracy and we need a great investment against bureaucracy in italy for a lot of reasons. we change the government in seven years, few times we joke

about it with the president because it is unbelievable in a country that has a government change every year, but it is normal of the political discussion is very strong. my opinion is very easy, if, in december, we win the referendum for italy it will be easy, more easy to continue the battle to change europe because structural reforms are important for italy, but they are also written -- important for institutions in europe. the other consequence of constitutional reform a part in the political debate in my view is if we win, italy will be

stronger and i worked strongly to achieve the victory. sorry. [speaking italian] >> or i can do it in english. >> let's talk about the referendum, because you hope to win, of course, but we have found many investors in wall street who are worried about the fact that you might lose the referendum. these are investors that have faith in italy and that threaten, if there is a negative result in terms of the reforms to just leave. what can you tell these investors in order to reassure them if there is a negative outcome, will you stay on? will you continue with the reform? and one last thing, this evening will you bring wine to the

diddle -- to the dinner with the president? this is an italian custom. mr. president, i agree with the prime minister that your italian is beautiful. you seem to be in agreement that there is a need to sort of go ahead with the policy you have pursued on being more flexible on the fiscal side. the problem is that it is very rigid with italian efforts, therefore jeopardizing the efforts. what can you say to brussels especially after brexit? ,they don't seem to be moving on that front -- you know how , important it is to move forward in that direction and do you think that in case of the referendum does not go well for

the prime minister he should stay on and continue in his reforms? thank you. >> [speaking italian] i have a feeling and i think that rightly so our american friends are a little bit more interested in november 8 than in the italian vote on constitutional reform and so are we, might i add. in terms of what you were asking, very briefly, this is a time in which many investors throughout the world are coming back to invest in italy and we are extremely happy about this. we are happy about the investments on innovation in terms of technology, apple is investing in naples, amazon is going to open an artificial intelligence center. for the entire economic and

financial world they are starting to see italy as an area or in which to create -- area in which to create opportunities and business. therefore, open doors, i do not believe there will be any major disasters if the "no" wins at the referendum. i would rather win the referendum and i will do everything i can. what is fundamental and true is that the message goes through. this referendum does not have to do with the great world events, the great world issues. very simply, do you want to simplify the system in italy giving greater stability and certain times in which to have greater stability. this is something to simplify things in our country and based on the question asked to the president on europe, we respect european rules and are totally inside the european rules,

although sometimes we do this halfheartedly and we like to do things differently. so long as rules do not change, we will respect them because italy has made its reputation one of the keywords in its mandate, we work to change them, but if they are there we are going to respect them. now what will happen within the next few months will be seen as a great -- as a great italian singer says we will discover this by living, so i am almost certain that the "yes" will win. so, you will have no grounds to ask this question. president obama: during the course of my presidency i have h and othersith angela

around how we could most effectively recover from the crisis of 2007-2008. it is fair to say that we have made progress quickly. what i have tried to point out was the reason we were able to make progress was we focused early on in providing a large demand through our fiscal policies, rebuilding roads, bridges, investing in schools, clean energy, putting people back to work, tax cuts, putting money into the pockets of consumers, saving the auto industry. and also, what was very important was quickly trying to fix the banks and infusing

capital and making sure they were more stable and transparent. and would attract confidence, so that the financial system was working again. i am proud of our economic track record. and haveur own -- created more jobs. this past year, we have seen incomes rise and poverty fall, where quickly then counterparts -- more quickly than counterparts in europe. i recognize that europe is a more complicated collection of states and it is more difficult to move, some are in the eurozone and some are not. so i do not expect everything we have done can immediately translate to europe. and there are some parts of europe we could learn from. in terms of the social safety

example, but what i do the very slowiven growth that has taken place in europe, over a decade now, you have a generation of european youth that are not attaching themselves to the labor market fast enough. reverse some not of those trends, then it becomes a generational loss, the income of wealth of economic capitalism. now that countries like italy and others have made real their finances and their deficits, there is more market confidence in their position, now would be a good

time, i believe, to refocus attention on growth. and making investments, because one of the reasons we have been able to cut our deficits by two thirds is not simply because we cut spending by two thirds, we disciplined spending, but we also grew fast enough that more revenue came in and that is one of the best ways for you to arrive at a sound fiscal position. and monetary policy alone is not sufficient. andink that mario draghi the european central bank has trying towork maintain a positive trajectory in europe, but ultimately there is only so much monetary policy can do if it is not combined with fiscal policy.

italy hope would be that will be true to their word and meet obligations, but as europe moves forward, they should be looking at how to grow more quickly and put more people back to work, see the incomes rise and create optimism and momentum, because i believe there is a connection between some of the less constructive populist impulses that have been rising up. trends do concern me, because if you look at the european experiment over the int 40 years, i said this hanover, there has been no group of people that have enjoyed more prosperity and peace over the

last several decades than a united europe. if it becomes splintered now, isause their senses -- sense the global capitals are not attentive to the ordinary concerns of people, that would be a tragedy. discussion,hat that others willo and continue. by the way, yes, i will not weigh in on the referendum, but the reforms he is initiating on the economic side are the right ones. and in a global internet driven world, governments have to be about to move fast and quickly and transparently. and so, i am rooting for success, but i think he should

hang around for a while, no matter what. thank you. i would like to ask about the election. donald trump is telling supporters that the election is rigged and asking them to monitor certain areas on election day. how concerned are you about the potential for violence, and what about after election day? are you worried the results may lead to distrust. and for the prime minister, the activity in-- the mosul has become. what do think about after liberation? and the president, if you want to talk about that. president obama: i do. one of the great things about america's democracy is we have a vigorous, sometimes bitter

political contest. when it is done, historically, regardless of parties, the person who loses the election congratulates the winner, reaffirms our democracy, and we move forward. that is how democracy survives, that thererecognize is something more important than any individual campaign, and that is making sure the integrity and trust in our institutions sustains itself. because democracy by definition works by consent. not by force. lifetimever seen in my , or in modern political history, any presidential

discredittrying to the elections and the election process before votes have ever taken place. it is unprecedented. it happens to be based on no facts. every expert, regardless of political party, regardless of ideology, conservative or liberal, who has ever examined the issues in a serious way will tell you that instances of a significant voter fraud are not to be found. mind elections are run by state and local officials, which means that there are places like florida where you have a republican

governor, who is a republican -- whose republican appointees will be monitoring the election and the point that somehow, mr. trump loses florida it is because those people that you have to watch out for, that is both irresponsible and by the way, does not really show the kind of leadership and trustworthiness you would want out of a president. you start whining before the is, if things- it are going badly, you start blaming somebody else then you do not know -- you do not have what it takes to be in this job. there are a lot of times things do not go our way or my way. it is ok. you fight through it and he worked through it. you try to accomplish your

goals. the larger point i want to emphasize here is that there is no serious person out there that would suggest somehow that you could even break -- rig america's elections, in part because they are so decentralized and the numbers of votes involved. there is no evidence it has happened in the past, or that there are instances that it will happen this time. so i would advise mr. trump to stop whining and try to make his case to get votes. ,nd if he got the most votes then it would be my expectation of hillary clinton to offer a gracious concession speech and pledge to work with him in order to make sure that the american people benefit from an effective government.

it would be my job then to welcome mr. trump, regardless of what he said about me or my differences with him, and escort him to the capital in which you there would be a peaceful transfer of power. that is what americans do. that is why america is already way of weakening america is if you start be train the basic -- betraying the basic american traditions that have been bipartisan and have helped to hold together the democracy for now well over two centuries. with respect to mosul, we are seeing the iraqi forces with support of the coalition that italy andhe u.s. and other nations, moving forward

and encircling mosul. the intention is to drive i sold -- isil out of what was its first major urban stronghold. and what continues to be one of the key organizational and logistical hubs for isil. i'm confident we can succeed, but it will be a tough fight and a difficult fight. fighting.is doing the they are performing effectively and bravely and taking on significant casualties. there will be ups and downs in the process, but my expectation is that it will be successful. be a key milestone in what i committed to doing when isil first emerged, that we

would roll them back and ultimately drive them out of population centers, and we will destroy them and the feet them so they will not be in a position to carry out terrorist attacks against our people's or our friends and allies, or against innocent people inside of iraq and syria. we have seen steady progress on this front. you asked an important question, which is if we are successful, how do we deal with what could be a humanitarian crisis, because isil, when occupies these territories, it believes them drive. -- bleeds them dry. it is not good at governance, so basic functions like electricity and water start running down. people are fleeing from their homes. there will be significant

displacement. this has all been part of the coalition planning process in conjunction with the united nations, in conjunction with major aid organizations, so we have put together plans and infrastructure for dealing with potential humanitarian crisis that our extensive as the military plans. that does not mean we do not have to pay attention to it and executing will be difficult. it will be a tough environment to operate under. and no doubt there will be instances where we see heartbreaking situations, if in fact large numbers of people flee. it is hard when you leave your home and you already do not have a lot because he were leaving -- living under an oppressive regime. it is hard to leave your home in a war zone. expectis not something i

will be easy, but i think if -- it perhaps has not been publicized enough the degree of planning and resources that we are devoting to this important problem. because if we are not successful in helping ordinary people as they are leaving for my soul -- that makesm isil, us bondable to seeing them -- vulnerable to seeing isil return. so there's interest in getting that right. think the renzi: i considerations are very clear for the italian side. about that.tted restore a the work to dam, because it could be a great

problem for the population. we are totally engaged with the rest of the coalition. to the iraqi people, the possibility to have a future. -- about they italian army, which will provide in the country to learning the local police. we are not worried for the future if we will bring mosul, because we think sooner or later we will destroy dash, and in the reconstruction and rebuilding will be a priority for every member of the international community. italy is engaged in the work with the united states and our allies. [speaking italian] >> thank you. thank you. the mediterranean political

priorities for italy, mainly because of the constant flow of migrants, is there a common strategy on libya? between europe and africa, italy, and how americans are in the position to help the efforts of the italian government, because sometimes europe is a, italy is alone to face the challenges. [speaking italian] prime min. renzi: i will answer in italian. obviously, our position is always the same. towardmust be looking africa with more convention. and we are convinced we cannot go every time to ask for help to the united states without doing our part. busy ined states are all of the international

theaters, and those ones closer to us we obviously need support of our best friend, because the united states are this, our best friend. but we also have to start in italian and european strategy, we cannot always sit and wait for this type of support. therefore, the issue of the mediterranean in africa has been left si during the last -- aside during the last 10 years, so we need to make it a priority again, we must work as the itmission has foreseen today, but it is not doing it at the necessary speed so we will do everything we can with the required state that are the priority. we have to work for africa to be a priority come including a priority from the point of view of resources, local development.

we will talk about it during the g7 next year and in terms of investment, the political investments perhaps which from the last few years has been lacking, before asking for help from the united states, which is something we do. italy and europe must do their part. italy will increase efforts for international cooperation and for the international cooperation at g7. we were the last in the classification, the seventh, it is not a good position but we will reach the fourth-place in the rankings in terms of gdp. which each of us proposes. so we have an increase in terms of money and international cooperation and funds, and in terms of libya we want to stabilize the government, make sure that there is a block of

the brothers and sisters that leave their country every time risk dying.ea, they we are happy and proud to help save lives. but the ocean is one of the worst places to do that. we do not want the mediterranean to become a cemetery, so we need a long-term strategy. and we need to have a short-term strategy as well. we are proud of what we are doing, but we know this method cannot go on forever. we cannot think of being in charge by ourselves with all of the problems of libya and africa. and on thursday and friday at the european council we will talk about this. prime min. renzi: this is -- president obama: this is an extensive topic of conversation. i will make a few points. number one, it is a strategic interest of the u.s. to make sure that the migration crisis

has been taken place -- that has been taking place in europe is of salt. the terrible loss of life we see as people attempt to reach europe, but also because of the distorting effect it can have on european politics if the census that the influx of migration is disorderly chaotic and overwhelms european countries. are deeply committed in europe's success in resolving this issue effectively. now, obviously there are a lot of contributors to it. so we are very focused on strengthening the government of national accord, and his secretary john kerry and others multinational a

-- on a multilateral basis to strengthen the government, resolve tensions that exist between the different portions of libya, then to be able to invest and build in their capacity to control their borders and their waterways. if we do not have a partner on the other side of the ocean, it will continue to be a problem. that is point number one. number two, we are deeply appreciate his of the generosity -- appreciative of the generosity of the italian people in rescuing so many people to the operation, operation sophia. we indicated although that that and theu. mission, nato u.s. are prepared to assist in a

row best -- robust way where appropriate. it is coordinating what it is you need and we will help, the same way that we do with respect to helping enforce the agreement between turkey and the european union. portion of that body of water. point, as was pointed out, is long-term and trying to help these countries that are having difficulty, where people , or just are unstable hungry and in search of opportunity. how do we help them develop in a way where people feel like they can succeed and raise families without fleeing to more developed countries? that is a longer-term

proposition, but we need to begin to make investments now. i mentioned that we have different issues with respect to migration and net migration into this country has actually been flat, in some cases it has decreased and we have had reversed flows, in particular with respect to mexico. but one area where we have seen a spike is actually from smaller countries in central america, where the economy is doing poorly, agriculture has done poorly because of changing weather patterns, in part, violence brought on by traffickers, so vice president biden has been given the charge of working with those countries to come up with a plan. and congress supported putting more money into these countries for development, more effective

policing, dealing with fighting the traffickers in a more effective way, investing in young people, but that one happen overnight. that will be a decade-long process. in the meantime, we have assisted those countries, sending a message to the population that it is a dangerous trip to reach the u.s. and when you do get here, you are likely to be turned back, to discourage the dangerous passage and also try to undermine the human traffickers that are praying on the desperation of people to make money. so all of those strategies must be employed. the one thing i would encourage is, i have said this whenever i visited europe, you cannot have a situation where italy, greece, germany are burying the entire burden.

if in fact, you have a european union then you are unified not just for the benefits, but also for the costs. i think it is important for europe collectively to be invested in solving this problem and not just leave it to one country, in the same way that here in the u.s. obviously, we are a nation state as opposed to separate states, but we would not abandon one with the say, you deal entire problem and good luck with that. solidarity and benefit from that solidarity on a range of issues, then that means you have joint responsibilities. ok? [indiscernible]

president obama: that is what i just said. >> kenny, on the policies -- can you comment on the policies? president obama: they spiked in 2014, went down in 2015, have gone back up this year and part there is still desperation in central america, but are still not at the levels they were in 2014. i appreciate you shouting out the question, because i know there are a lot of people who would want to do the same. thank you very much everybody. i appreciate it.

>> join us today at 6:30 p.m. for the white house state dinner for the italian prime minister. live coverage includes the arrival of the prime minister and his wife, dinner guests arriving through the east wing. the grand staircase official photo and the dinner toast offered by president obama and the italian prime minister. the secretary will join us to talk about food, entertainment and protocol for the state visit. we will also revisit previous state dinners under the obama administration. we will speak with the italian ambassador to the u.s. and washington post's fashion critic will be reviewing the state dinner fashion for michelle obama over the years. the state dinner for the italian prime esther will be today at 6:30 p.m. eastern on c-span and

c-span.org. or you can listen on the free c-span radio app. c-span's coverage of the third debate between hillary clinton and donald trump wednesday night. the preview from the university of nevada starts at 7:30 p.m., the briefing for the studio audience is at 8:30 p.m., and the 90 minute debate is at 9:00 p.m. eastern. stay with us for viewer reaction, including your calls and facebook postings. watch it live or on-demand using your tablet or phone at c-span.org. listen to live coverage with the app.c-span >> candidates for washington's u.s. senate race debated recently. senator patty murray and her republican challenger discussed gun control, trade and the minimum wage. the washington state debate

coalition and seattle city club hosted this one-hour debate. [applause] >> good evening. tonight, the u.s. senate debate is hosted by the washington state debate coalition in collaboration with the university. washington state university and eastern washington university, community college of spokane and whitworth university. the coalition was founded to enhance access to information, nonpartisan political debates. tonight, the debate is made possible from -- by sponsors microsoft, the bill and linda gates foundation and the jackson foundation. and individual donors to the city club. the audience here at the university and across the state can produce of the in the debate using the hashtag --

i i would like to -- i would like to introduce the candidates, who have been briefed on the rules and will begin with opening statements. patty murray, we start with you. much,rray: thank you very and good evening. thank you for putting this event together, to the university for hosting tonight, and to all of you here tonight, as well as those of you listening in, it's great to be here with you. like most people, i get pretty frustrated at the dysfunction and gridlock in washington, d.c. i remember one particularly bad year, 2013. no one could talk to anyone. everybody was fighting. we were facing a fiscal cliff. there was a lot of uncertainty and automatic budget cuts coming down. and i came home to washington state, and came here